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The New Black Conservative: Rhetoric Or Reality?

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The New Black Conservative: Rhetoric Or Reality? University of Nebraska - Lincoln DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln Faculty Publications: Political Science Political Science, Department of January 2003 THE NEW BLACK CONSERVATIVE: RHETORIC OR REALITY? Byron D. Orey University of Nebraska - Lincoln, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/poliscifacpub Part of the Political Science Commons Orey, Byron D., "THE NEW BLACK CONSERVATIVE: RHETORIC OR REALITY?" (2003). Faculty Publications: Political Science. 16. https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/poliscifacpub/16 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Political Science, Department of at DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln. It has been accepted for inclusion in Faculty Publications: Political Science by an authorized administrator of DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln. THE NEW BLACK CONSERVATIVE: RHETORIC OR REALITY? Byron D’Andra Orey, Department of Political Science, University of Nebraska, Lin- coln There is [a] class of [black] people who make a business of keeping the troubles, the wrongs, and the hardships of the Negro race before the public. Some of these people do not want the Negro to lose his grievances, because they do not want to lose their jobs. Booker T. Washington1 In recent years there has been growing speculation regarding an increase in the number of African Americans identifying themselves as conservatives. Much of this speculation has been heightened by the increase in the number of African American elites who identify themselves as conservatives. This list includes icons like Clarence Thomas, J.C. Watts, Alan Keyes and Ward Connerly, to name a few. Despite the increase in the number of African American elites who identify themselves as conser- vatives, there has been a dearth of systematic analyses to determine if this phenom- enon has trickled down to the masses. The new breed of African American conservatives tends to reject government pro- grams designed to benefit African Americans, while endorsing self-help types of programs. Some of its members cite Booker T. Washington’s emphasis on economic progress and centrality of character as their guiding philosophies. Rueter (1997) contends that, “Black conservatives favor free markets, individual responsibility, cultural conservatism, and a ‘color-blind’ approach to public policy” (85). Dawson (1994) presents a puzzle addressing the notion that although African Ameri- cans have become economically diverse in recent years, they still remain politically unified (e.g., members of the Democratic party). The author’s explanation is that African Americans possess a “linked fate” with the black community. That is, African Americans believe that what happens to African Americans as a group has a potential bearing on their personal lives. This linkage is directly related to the historical struggle of African Americans in the United States. Hence, given the history of economic subordination and political disenfranchisement faced by African Ameri- cans, combined with the massive resistance to changing these conditions by such conservatives as Southern Democrats, and Clarence Thomas, one of the questions posed by Dillard (2001), is why would an African American self-identify him/herself 1 As cited in Thornbrough (1969: 57). Perspectives 38 as a conservative? Rueter (1997) contends that “the views of black conservatives are out of touch with the views of mainstream black America” (90). As a result of being outside of the “mainstream,” African American conservatives have received intense criticism by members of the black community. According to Spike Lee, Malcolm X would call Clarence Thomas “a handkerchief head, a chicken- and biscuit-eating Uncle Tom” (U.S. News and World Report 1991, 16). Additionally, black conservatives have been given such labels as “Uncle Toms,” “house-Negroes,” and “sell-outs.” One potential answer to the above question is rooted in the above epigraph. To be sure, African American conservatives have provided support for traditional conserva- tive issues like welfare reform and abortion (i.e., pro-life positions); however, it ap- pears that some of this conservatism may be a function of resentment toward other African Americans. Indeed, in an exchange with black conservative, Shelby Steele, Amiri Baraka (for- merly known as LeRoi Jones), a noted poet-playwright and leader of the Black Power movement in the 1960s, states: Steele… tells us, like David Rockefeller, that “the only way we will see advancement of black people… is for us to focus on develop- ing ourselves as individuals and embracing opportunity.” … Of course it has long been the whine of house Negroes that they are individuals, not to be confused with common field niggers. It is the cry of the most reactionary sector of the bourgeoisie, that they, indeed, ain’t with the rest of us woogies. All black and poor and stinking like that! Additionally, Barker, Jones and Tate (1999) argue that the African American conser- vative position “dovetails quite nicely with the longstanding white supremacist notion that the unequal position of blacks is due neither to racism nor to systemic economic conditions but to the inappropriate behavior of blacks themselves” (99). In this vein, Clarence Thomas states, “[It] is just as insane for blacks to expect relief from the federal government for years of discrimination as it is to expect a mugger to nurse his victims back to health. Ultimately, the burden of your being mugged falls on you” (National Association for the Advancement of Colored People 1991). John Hope Franklin, the father of African American history rebuts such statements as Thomas’s by writing, Self-help is admirable so long as it encourages initiative and achieve- ment in a society that gives all its members an opportunity to de- Perspectives 39 velop in the manner best suited to their talents. It must not be confused with or used as a substitute for society’s obligation to deal equitably with all its members and to assume the responsibility for promoting their well-being. This involves equal educational, economic and political opportunity regardless of age, gender or race. Judge Thomas, in failing in his utterances and policies to subscribe to this basic principle, has placed himself in the unseemly position of denying to others the very opportunities and the kind of assistance from public and private quarters that have placed him where he is today (National Association for the Advancement of Color People 1991). The research at hand, examines whether models that have traditionally been applied to detect white racism, can be useful in understanding this new breed of African American conservatives. Rhetoric or Reality? Much of the recent attention directed toward understanding the African American conservative has focused on the rhetoric of such writers as Shelby Steele and John McWhorter. The operative word here is writers. Shelby Steele is an English professor and McWhorter is a Linguistics professor. These works prove to be nothing more than essays that speak of the writers’ personal (biased) experiences. Said differently, the authors fail to conduct systematic analyses that help to improve our understand- ing of the African American conservative. Despite the recent media attention accorded the notion of a “new Black conserva- tive,” there has been limited systematic research examining this phenomenon. Tate (1993) reports that middle- to high- income African Americans are less likely to support social welfare policy when compared to blacks in the lower class. Welch and Foster (1987) find that African Americans with higher incomes are less supportive of affirmative action. Bolce and Gray (1979) report that lower class African Americans are more likely to favor affirmative action programs than higher class African Ameri- cans. These authors indicate, however, that the class differences depend upon the type of program being evaluated. In other words, they report that higher educated African Americans are more likely to reject quotas than African Americans with a high school degree or less. African Americans who graduate from college are no more likely, however, to oppose preferential treatment than African Americans who have not attended college. Dawson (1994) provides evidence to show that an increase in income increases the likelihood of an African American opposing affirmative action policies. Dawson (1994) contends that, this may point to the notion that middle class blacks feel that such programs may “stigmatize their accomplishments” (194). Perspectives 40 Simpson (1998) provides anecdotal evidence supporting the notion that young black conservatives tend to reject claims of racism as a reason for African American failure, while opting to turn to self-reliance and community-based programs as a solution to African American problems. Black Resentment? Previous research examining attitudes toward African Americans and racial policies has relied heavily on white racial attitudes. The research at hand, builds upon the extant literature by examining African American attitudes toward African Americans. Symbolic racism (same as racial resentment), a concept originally articulated by Sears and Kinder (1971), posits that white racial attitudes are no longer shaped by “biological racism,” the notion that blacks are an inherently inferior race to whites. These authors note that individuals who possess symbolic racial attitudes believe “that blacks violate such traditional American values as individualism
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